Friday, May 7. 2010

Since the Federal Highway Administration vetoed the Commonwealth's plan to put tolls on Interstate 80 to help fill the potholes in PennDOT's budget, ideas on how to accomplish that feat in a different manner have been flying fast and furious. The daunting task of finding $472 million was taken up by three state representatives: Bill Kortz of Allegheny County, Michael O'Brien of Philadelphia, and Scott Conklin of Centre County. Their idea? Tolls!

Their idea, officially called Special Session House Bill 2 or "Gateway Tolling for Transportation Independence Today" would have toll plazas constructed at the state lines on I-78, I-79, I-80, I-81, I-84, I-90, and I-95 which would charge traffic entering and exiting anywhere between $1 for passenger vehicles to $5 for trucks. Residents near the borders could buy a book of tickets at a reduced price which would offer them a lower toll, but trucking companies based within Pennsylvania would be entirely exempt from paying. The toll booths would be manned by PennDOT, not PTC, employees and would offer coin-drop baskets as well as E-ZPass gantries equipped with video cameras to capture violator's license plates who would receive a bill in the mail.

These tolls would basically amount to a "user fee" paid by those who drive said Interstates, for maintenance of said Interstate. Tolling currently free Interstates whose construction was funded 90% by the federal government is allowed to provide for maintenance, and only maintenance. The plan to toll Interstate 80 would have siphoned money off for other transportation-related projects, which is not allowed. Representative Coklin estimates that between $235 million and $300 million a year could be raised for the Department of Transportation.

The proposal faces two roadblocks: passage by the special session of the Legislature and a stamp of approval from the Federal Highway Administration. Since the proposal would need their approval, the process for implementation could take several years, so the idea might not provide immediate results.

Wednesday, March 22. 2006

It has been six years since E-ZPass appeared on the Pennsylvania Turnpike System, and finally 60, 66, and the Southern Beltway from US 22 to PA 60 in the Pittsburgh area will be added. Also, the coin-drop machines will be upgraded to ones similar to those seen at the Jefferson Hills Toll Plaza on PA Turnpike 43 (Mon-Fayette Expressway).

About time! The inclusion into the E-ZPass system is long over due, especially if you have followed along with the timetable I had on the Toll Highways index page. I removed it because I got tired of changing it every other month with a new updated schedule that never panned out. If only it was active on PA Turnpike 43 when I used to drive that expressway. I can't tell you how many times I ended up behind someone in the exact change lane paying their toll in pennies! Not to mention the one night I found a toll collector asleep, leaning out of the booth.

As for the coin-drop machines, I also say about time! The early models are very tempremental and will sometimes not register your payment. Even when 66 opened in 1993, that summer I had a problem with one at the mainline plaza. The worst was once at the California Toll Plaza on 43, where I pulled into a lane and saw a worker standing at the machine. Got the green light and everything seemed OK until I started to go and then WHAM! the gate came crashing down across the lane. Luckily, I hadn't started yet or I would have had a horizontal crease across my hood. All the worker said was "whoops!" Yeah, that'd have been a big whoops the PTC would have been paying to fix.

The only expressway not being included is the aforementioned PA Turnpike 43 (Mon-Fayette Expressway). I can see why the PTC wouldn't add it, since right now it is a disjointed expressway with less traffic than the others.